Andy Roid and the superhuman secret by Felice Arena

Penguin Australia, 2012. ISBN 9780143306030.
This is Book 1 of a new series by Felice Arena, remembered by many Primary school boys especially for his very popular Specky Magee books as well as the easily accessible Boyz Rule and Girlz Rock books.
Andy Roid is a 12 year old whose life is turned upside down when he is almost kidnapped on the way home. He luckily escapes on his bike, pursued by the kidnappers, only to run head on into a Mack Truck.
This should have been the end of Andy but, fortunately for him, his parents do not run a bakery and invent new muffin recipes as he believed, but are scientists who specialize in robotics and have just made a breakthrough in Biorobotics.
At his point I was with Andy. How could they reconstruct their son as a robot?  While I pondered this for some time, I am sure the intended audience will pass over the ethics of the operation without a blink and be as thrilled as Andy as he discovers the cool apps he has been given and how to turn them on. Welcome Andy Roid the android, a 12 year old modern version of the old 6 Million Dollar Man.
Andy finds it is not all fun and games as he heroically saves Molly, but has to keep his identity secret, think Superman, Spiderman and Co. The threat posed by the kidnapping crew of Dr Sylvester Baffi and the Triple S is ever present and will continue to play a part in future stories.
As fast paced as a cartoon this series is sure to appeal to those reluctant readers who will enjoy the action packed modern references.
Sue Keane